Maison SMC
Redesigning a shelter's website to become a safe, confidential lifeline for victims of domestic violence- Maison SMC
About the project
Context
Maison Simonne-Monet-Chartrand is a shelter and support organization for women and mothers experiencing domestic violence in the Montérégie region. Their existing digital presence failed to serve their most vulnerable users: women actively seeking help under surveillance, at high emotional risk, on mobile, in stolen moments. The redesign had to earn trust before it could offer help.
My role
My work covered the service ecosystem mapping, persona definition, user journey design, site architecture, and UX direction across the full site. I collaborated closely with Marie-Christine Dion, art director on the visual direction and UI system.
Release date
2023
Expertises
UX Design, Interaction Design
The challenge
Design for the user who has the least room for error.
Maison SMC needed a site that could do two contradictory things at once — be visible enough to attract donors and partners, and invisible enough to protect victims who couldn't risk leaving a trace.
Mapping the service ecosystem showed the problem clearly: four audiences with incompatible needs, all landing on the same site. The user journey made the priority obvious. A woman in crisis, browsing on a shared device in stolen moments, couldn't afford friction or exposure.
Architecture
Organizing the site around user intent, not organizational structure
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The site was restructured around user intent: the visitor's question. Navigation had three entry points: "I need help," "I wonder," and "I get involved," guiding donors and partners distinctly.
I Need Help : The challenge was to convince a woman to step out without revealing the shelter's location, emphasizing warmth and safety for her children.
I wonder: For women sensing something is wrong and those worried about someone. The page clarifies domestic violence: what's normal and what's not. Illustrated portraits protect identities, allowing real stories to be shared safely.
Donate : The entry point for donors and volunteers shows every contribution counts. An animated chart illustrates how donations support women or fund shelter, personalizing contributions and motivating donors.
Safety design
When UX patterns become survival tools
Designing for digital safety was the most technically complex UX challenge on this project, and the one where prior experience mattered most. Having already designed safety patterns for SOS Violence Conjugale, I came in with a working understanding of what these features needed to do, where they fell short, and what to improve.
Quick-exit button: The exit flow now prompts for browser history deletion before leaving. It provides step-by-step instructions tailored to the user's environment, ensuring no trace is left.
An inactivity screen appears after 30-40 seconds of no interaction, overlaying illustrated flowers from the site's design. It serves as a privacy screen and a reminder for users who switched tabs.
A share-safe metadata system: when shared, the link preview appears as a neutral resource, with no site reference or signals for an abusive partner.
Key point
Every safety pattern was built for users who cannot ask for help twice, the design had to work on the first and only visit.
Explore more
Building on what we learned from SOS Violence Conjugale.
SOS Violence Conjugale
Designing a digital safe space that helps victims name what they couldn't say
Leaving guide
A departure guide, because leaving is a logistics problem too
Just as SOS Violence Conjugale had its own tool designed for the moment of awareness, helping a woman name her situation: Maison SMC needed its own tool for the next stage: the moment of departure. Each project in this space required a purpose-built instrument, calibrated to a specific emotional threshold in the victim's journey.
The leaving guide was inspired by a simple reframe: a woman leaving a violent home is leaving a stressful place. The Airbnb guide became a reference point, providing a checklist of essentials needed when adrenaline takes over. This practical preparation helps make the decision feel actionable.
The guide was designed mobile-first, reflecting how victims browse on phones in short moments. Content was structured for scanning under stress — short sections, clear hierarchy. The download experience was frictionless: one tap, saved to device, no account needed. Sharing the guide link appears as a neutral resource, ensuring safety.
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SOS Violence Conjugale
Designing a digital safe space that helps victims name what they couldn't say